Before I Met You
by Minnowfairy
Summary: Melissa the Rabbit has been living on the streets almost all her life. One day, a L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist offers her a deal to leave the horrible life she has. Not caring about the consequences, she accepts. But by the time she finally realises she's in too deep, it's too late to turn back. Or is it? Collab with Nightflame203.
1. Chapter 1

Wendy the Cat was strolling down the street, casually minding her own business and enjoying the warmth of the sun, when she suddenly heard a yelp of pain from nearby… What sounded like BAD pain. Concerned, the cat veered off her course and followed the voice into an alleyway. Suddenly, she froze.

On the ground in front of her was a brown, female rabbit, who looked like she was in awful pain.

Wendy had never seen the rabbit before, but that didn't matter. Wendy was a medic, so her duty was to help EVERYONE. She knelt down beside the rabbit and touched her shoulder. "Hi, can you hear me?"

The rabbit shivered and curled up on her side tighter, but she managed to nod weakly, not opening her eyes.

"My name is Wendy. I'm a medic. What's your name?"

"M-M-Melissa."

"Melissa, can you tell me what's wrong with you?"

"I-I...don't...know..." the rabbit croaked.

"Where does it hurt?" Wendy asked, keeping her voice as clear and calm as she could.

"E-Everywhere... I-It...feels..."

"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"E-Eight..." Melissa suddenly let out another yelp as a spasm wracked her body.

Wendy tried to think of what this could be. "Is there any chance you might be pregnant?"

Melissa's eyes widened. "I-I..." She grimaced.

"I'll take that as a yes." Wendy tenderly pressed Melissa's abdomen. It didn't seem swollen enough for pregnancy, though. "Do you have a boyfriend or mate?"

Melissa squeezed her eyes shut. "N-No..."

"IS there a chance that you could be pregnant, then?" Wendy asked again. "I need to know; it could be important."

"T-There is...a-a chance..."

"Okay." Wendy continued her examination, using the very small first aid kit she kept in her fedora. After a few minutes, she said, "Okay, I don't think you're pregnant. Have you eaten anything rotten or bad recently?"

Melissa exhaled in relief, despite the fact she was still in pain. "M-Maybe s-something... I-I would h-have...b-been too...h-hungry to t-tell..."

"It could be food poisoning, then." Wendy hesitated. "Alright, you need to come back to my house. I'm better equipped to deal with this there."

"O-Okay." Melissa shakily began to try and push herself up with her arms.

Wendy slung the rabbit's arm over her shoulder and started supporting her as they made their way out of the alleyway and into Danville Forest, which was nearby. The closer they got, the more Melissa was able to walk on her own.

Soon, they came to a small cabin in a clearing, surrounded by beautiful flowers. Inside the first room was a very small square pool, not very deep. "Here, let's put you in here. It's warm so it might help," Wendy said.

Melissa hesitated. "Alright..."

After lowering the rabbit into the warm water, Wendy disappeared upstairs.

Melissa exhaled and leaned her head back. The water did seem to be helping a bit...

She looked round the room. There was a small wooden sofa opposite her, and in the other corner, underneath the stairs, was a very small kitchen. She chuckled. The house definitely looked cute and quaint. Some people might have complained about its size or something, but... Melissa appreciated any place that had a roof.

Although her pain had almost all gone, she felt her stomach growl. Melissa groaned. She was still relieved she wasn't pregnant, but it didn't change the fact that she was in pain. What she didn't get was why this was bothering her now, if it WAS food poisoning. After all, she had a strong metabolism after growing up on the streets, and she certainly had eaten bad food before and hadn't gotten sick from it. It must have been something VERY bad.

That was when Wendy came back downstairs. She was carrying what looked like a small x-ray machine and a stethoscope. Over her back was a backpack with a red cross on it.

Melissa hesitated. "What's that for...?"

"Which thing?" Wendy asked as she set everything down on the floor beside the pool.

"Just about all of it..."

"Okay. Well, the x-ray is to see inside your stomach, the stethoscope is to make sure that your vitals are still good, and in the bag there's a whole array of medicines that may be used to treat whatever's ailing you. Oh, and I also have a portable ultrasound in there."

Melissa shifted. "I thought you said that I wasn't... You know..."

"Firstly, I did that examination very quickly and I might have misdiagnosed," Wendy said, sorting through her bag. "And secondly, ultrasounds can be used for so much more than just checking for pregnancy. They let you see inside the abdomen like an x-ray but while an x-ray mainly shows your bones and muscles, the ultrasound will show your organs and blood."

"Oh." Melissa exhaled. "Okay."

"So I need you to stay still while I examine you."

"Do you need me to get out of the pool?"

"Yes, please." Wendy paused. "Are you hungry?"

Melissa nodded. "I almost always am." With that, she crawled out of the pool.

"Well then, after the examination, I can make you something. What do you like?"

"Anything," Melissa admitted. "I don't care, as long as it fills me up."

Wendy grinned. "Fair enough."

She got out the x-ray and scanned Melissa's stomach. Then she did the same with the ultrasound machine. While she was waiting for the results of both, she cooked up a stew made from over ten vegetables and served it to Melissa, while the cat herself ate a small fish.

Melissa took the bowl gratefully. "Thanks."

Wendy smiled briefly back before heading off to find the results of the examination.


	2. Chapter 2

After taking only a few spoonfuls of the stew, Melissa could already tell that it was helping her a lot. Not only was it real food, but it was also very tasty. She found herself eating quicker and quicker until it was suddenly all gone.

And that was when Wendy got back. She blinked at the empty bowl. "Do you...want more?"

Melissa shook her head slowly. "Not until I know what's wrong with me."

Wendy nodded slowly. "Good idea."

She invited Melissa to sit down on her sofa. "Okay, so I can tell you for certain this time that you're not pregnant."

"Okay." Melissa took a deep breath and felt her heartbeat slow down to a normal pace again.

"You have in your stomach a special kind of bacteria that is only found in meat. Whatever you've eaten recently must have come into contact with this bacteria before you ate it. Since rabbits are herbivores, your stomach reacted as if it has actually digested meat. Hence the pain."

"Oh..." Melissa hesitated. "That makes sense."

"Did anything you ate recently taste funny?" Wendy asked.

Melissa paused. "Yesterday evening... I barely noticed it at the time; I hadn't eaten in days. But I guess it was that."

"Right." Wendy paused. "Well, the bacteria should leave your system within a day or so. Do you want to stay here for a bit to recover?"

"That would be nice, if it's not too much trouble..."

"No, definitely not." Wendy smiled. "I could hardly let you go home in this condition. Where do you live, anyway?"

"Um, well..." Melissa hesitated. "I...don't really have a home. Not unless you...count the streets."

Wendy's eyes widened. "Really? Oh, that's so sad! How did you end up on the streets?"

Melissa shrugged. "I was born on them. I'm not sure how my PARENTS ended up there, but I was born and raised on the streets. My parents... They died when I was a little bit less than a month old. I don't even know how I survived."

Wendy clasped her paws. "Oh, Melissa..."

The rabbit cleared her throat. "I don't need your pity," she said softly.

"It's not pity. It's sympathy." Wendy bit her lip. "But I get it. I won't bring it up again. Now, would you like more stew?"

Melissa smiled. "That would be great. Yes, please."

After Melissa had eaten her fill, Wendy took her upstairs and began preparing the double bed in the corner. "Do you mind sleeping on the linen that I use, or would you prefer fresh linen?" Wendy asked.

Melissa shrugged. "I don't care; whatever's less work for you, I guess."

"Okay." Wendy smiled. "Breakfast will be at about eight. Do you like fried eggs?"

"Maybe...?" Melissa hesitated. "I'm not sure that I've ever had them before."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Wendy hesitated. "Is there anything you'd prefer for breakfast?"

Melissa shrugged. "Whatever's not too difficult, I guess. I really don't care when it comes to these things."

"Alright..." Wendy paused, thinking.

Melissa took that opportunity to ask a question that had been in the back of her mind for a while now. "Why are you doing all this for me?"

Wendy smiled. "You needed help; I never turn down someone in trouble."

"But...me? I'm a street animal. I could have been diseased for all you knew."

Wendy shrugged. "It doesn't change the fact that I'm a medic, and I'm here to help people, diseased or not."

Melissa chuckled weakly. "I'm not diseased, though. At least, I don't think so."

Wendy shook her head. "No, you're not, don't worry." She smiled and patted Melissa's shoulder. "Get some rest now."

Melissa nodded and then yawned, as if on cue. "Okay."

Wendy stood up and went downstairs, allowing Melissa to slip into the bed. Melissa curled up in the bed, sighing contentedly. It was one of the most comfortable nights of sleep she had ever experienced.

…

The next morning, Melissa woke up a little disorientated. She leaned back and rested her head on her pillow, deciding to wait to get up till she felt less dizzy.

Downstairs, Wendy was preparing breakfast. She smiled over at Melissa when she saw her. "Hey, how you feeling?"

"Better," Melissa said. "My stomach isn't trying to kill me anymore."

Wendy chuckled. "Well, that's good. You hungry?"

Melissa nodded. "Definitely."

Wendy served up two fried eggs onto a plate and gave it to Melissa. "If you don't like it, please do say. I can get something else."

Melissa took the plate gratefully. "I probably will like it, don't worry." She smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem at all." Wendy smiled back. "I'm a people person and I love hosting. I'll probably end up feeding you too much." She laughed.

Melissa laughed too, though weaker. "After years of not eating much of anything? I doubt that's possible."

Wendy fell silent, remembering that her new friend grew up on the streets. Then her smile returned. "Well, I can make however much you want. Just ask."

"Okay, thanks." Melissa smiled. She hesitated, a thought striking her. "Um, Wendy... Do you have any siblings?"

Wendy glanced over at her, her face hardly readable. "...yes. I have a brother and a sister."

"Oh..." Melissa hesitated. "I...see..."

"Sorry." Wendy took in a deep breath. "I don't have the best relationship with my siblings. We... They think differently to me. REALLY differently."

Melissa frowned. "I'm sorry..."

"The last straw came when Cadenza..." She trailed off and swallowed. "When Cadenza...took a life."


	3. Chapter 3

Melissa hesitated. "And she didn't have to defend herself?"

"No. We were investigating a theft of dangerous weapons and cornered the suspect in a warehouse. We disarmed him and I got ready to arrest him, but..." Wendy wiped her eyes. "Cadenza took his gun, and..." She couldn't force herself to continue.

"Wow..." Melissa paused. "Considering you're a medic, that must have been hard to watch, huh?"

"I tried to save him," Wendy said softly. "But I wasn't good enough to." She swallowed. "That's the worst feeling: knowing you couldn't save someone. Knowing you tried everything and it still didn't work, it..."

Melissa shook her head firmly. "No, Wendy. Some people are beyond saving. If their wound is serious enough, no amount of medical knowledge can save them."

Wendy exhaled. "That's the hardest thing for me to accept... But I guess you're right. I still train to be better," she added. "I try to be the best I can so that I CAN save everybody."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Melissa smiled. "You know... You're probably the nicest person I've ever met."

Wendy blushed a little. "Really...?"

"Yeah." Melissa chuckled. "I know that might not be saying much, considering that I've never met many people, but..."

"No, that's really sweet." Wendy smiled. "Thanks."

"Yeah." Melissa paused and hesitated. "So... How long can I stay here?"

"As long as you want," Wendy replied warmly. "I don't live with anyone and I have a hammock outside that I love sleeping in. I would honestly not mind if you decided to live here full time. It'll be better for you than living on those horrible streets."

"R-Really...?"

Wendy nodded. "Of course. I'd love to have a housemate."

"I think I'd be more harmful than helpful... I have more street smarts than house smarts."

"I honestly don't expect anything in return," Wendy said. "Just looking after the house for me when I go into work."

Melissa rubbed the back of her neck. "Thank you so much."

She was feeling bad. If only she had gotten this offer a couple of weeks ago. But, now... Now someone would get hurt. Now it was bad. It had gone too far. She was certain now that this Wendy was the one she was looking for. And that just made it more painful.

Melissa squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed. This was just her luck. If ONLY she had gotten this offer two weeks ago! She would have gladly accepted. This was literally the ideal setup; AND no strings attached.

 _Unless…_ Melissa hesitated. Maybe… Maybe there was something she could do.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked suddenly. "You look a little pale."

Melissa cleared her throat. "Y-Yeah... I'm okay."

"Great!" Wendy beamed. "Would you like to see my rose bushes?"

Melissa smiled. "That would be wonderful."

Wendy led Melissa outside and over to the side, where Melissa saw a large patch of rose bushes, full of small red roses. "They're not fully in bloom yet. They will be in a couple of months," Wendy explained. "But I still think they're beautiful."

"They are," Melissa agreed.

As she watched Wendy tenderly touch the rose to make sure it was healthy, Melissa felt a pang in her heart. Wendy was such a sweetheart. She didn't deserve…what Melissa was supposed to do. But how was she supposed to do it now?

Melissa might be able to find some loophole. _Please let me find a loophole..._ She searched her brain frantically but to her dismay, she couldn't find one. His instructions had been perfectly clear: bring Wendy to him, and she could get off the streets.

Of course she regretted taking the deal now. But she hadn't known who Wendy was at the time, and…frankly, she hadn't cared. She would have done ANYTHING to get off those streets.

Melissa swallowed. She'd figure out something.

Wendy smiled and patted Melissa's shoulder. "Is there anything you'd like to do today?"

"I…I don't know." She inhaled deeply.

"Hm." Wendy hesitated. "Well, I have to write a report back in O.W.C.A. today. Maybe you could come with me."

"O-O.W.C.A?" Melissa blinked.

 _She works for O.W.C.A.?!_

"If you don't want to come, you don't have to," Wendy said quickly.

"N-No, I..." Melissa swallowed. _Play the ignorance card._ "What's O.W.C.A.?"

"It's an organisation that I'm part of. It's sort of secret, and we're all trained to fight."

"That...sounds really cool."

Wendy chuckled. "So do you want to come with me?"

Melissa attempted a smile. "Sure."

"Great! I just need to get a few things, and I'll be ready to go."

Melissa sat down and watched Wendy go back into the house. Now, somehow, she felt even worse.

 _If you don't want this to happen, you're gonna have to let her know about the situation you got yourself in... One way or another._

But then Wendy would hate her. She'd think that Melissa was tricking her all along.

Melissa buried her head in her paws and groaned. She always managed to get herself into situations like these. Someday things might just take a turn for the best, but… Melissa couldn't see those days ahead of her.

As she was thinking hard, Wendy was watching her from the window. The poor rabbit seemed to be preoccupied with something. Wendy hesitated. She doubted Melissa would want to talk about it; they barely knew each other. But at the same time, Wendy felt as if she had known Melissa for a while. Just hearing her past… Wendy was surprised how Melissa had opened up to her; the rabbit didn't seem like the kind of person to open up easily.

Wendy did feel a little pity towards her, but at the same time, she knew she wasn't just helping Melissa because of it; she genuinely liked the rabbit. Despite what Melissa had gone through, she seemed nice, and Wendy really wanted to become a closer friend of hers.

Little did she know that Melissa wanted the exact same thing. But now there was a very big obstacle in the way of that.

And Wendy had no idea what it was.


	4. Chapter 4

Melissa reluctantly followed Wendy into O.W.C.A's headquarters. She had been here once before, but not exactly as an honoured guest, as she was this time. She just didn't want to run into Perry or any of the other top agents. They would definitely recognise her, and then it would be all over. Unless Wendy stood up for her, but… How was her word good against the top of the top? How high up was the cat in O.W.C.A.'s ranking?

Melissa sighed. She'd just have to hope for the best. Currently, that was all she could do.

And, frankly, she hated it. Years of taking care of herself meant she liked being in control of things, and she didn't like not being able to do much.

Wendy turned to smile at Melissa as they entered the office area. "You doing okay?"

Melissa exhaled. "Yeah. It's...big," she said lamely.

Wendy chuckled. "I guess that's true. Let's go to my office."

She led Melissa past all the cubicles and into a larger office that had a closable door and full walls. Melissa let out a breath of relief as Wendy closed the door behind her. "This is a nice office," she commented. "Larger than I was expecting."

"Thank you," Wendy smiled. "I'm one of the oldest agents here. Even though I'm a medic, I was a field agent before that. And I still go out on missions a lot. So I get my own proper office." She grinned. "It's nice."

Melissa blinked. "You...were a field agent?"

Wendy shrugged. "Of sorts. Mostly I was a field medic, but I was also trained to be a proper field agent. So when I'm called on a mission, it might be as an agent or it might be as a medic."

"Oh." Melissa blinked. "I see."

"Why?"

"Just..." Melissa hesitated. "I was just surprised, that's all." At least that wasn't a TOTAL lie...

Wendy smiled. "Okay. Are you hungry? It's almost lunchtime."

"Yeah, I can eat." Melissa paused. "You mean, in the cafeteria?"

"Yeah." Wendy cocked her head. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"I just... Would I really be welcome there?"

Wendy nodded quickly. "Oh, yes. I'm a senior agent so people will know you're with me if you stay next to me."

Melissa hesitated. That wasn't exactly reassuring, considering that she could think of at least four agents who could and would recognise her.

But... Maybe they wouldn't be there? The rabbit exhaled. She didn't want Wendy to know anything, if it was possible, so maybe she should just risk it.

"If you don't want to be amongst so many strangers, I can get something for you and bring it up here," Wendy offered.

Melissa breathed out in relief. "That would be great, if it's not too much trouble."

"No, not at all." Wendy smiled. "If there's anything you want to do on the computer while I'm gone, go ahead. Otherwise, there's not much else to do."

"Thank you so much, Wendy." Melissa managed a smile. "For everything."

"You're welcome." Wendy beamed back. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

She left the room, and Melissa sighed, leaning back against the wall. She was growing more uncomfortable by the second. What if someone opened the door to the office, looking for Wendy, and found Melissa? How on Earth would she be able to explain her presence? ESPECIALLY if the person happened to recognise her. Maybe she SHOULD have gone with Wendy…

 _Well, it's too late now. Maybe you can hide somewhere? Or lock the door?_

Melissa decided the latter would be best.

So after she locked the door, she went to sit behind the desk and turned on the computer. She wasn't sure what she'd do on it—and growing up on the streets meant she didn't completely understand how it worked, either—but it was a way to pass the nervous time.

As it turned out, Wendy actually returned before the computer even booted up fully. "Here you go." She handed Melissa a small take-out box. "Was everything okay?"

Melissa shrugged. "Nothing happened at all, so yeah. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Also..." Wendy hesitated. "I noticed you locked the door; luckily, I had keys. Is it making you too uncomfortable here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Melissa blushed a little. "N-No, I just...I didn't want someone to come in looking for you and find me alone here. They might think I'd broken in."

Wendy nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. Don't worry, it's okay." She smiled.

Melissa's nerves were fraying more and more by the minute, but she managed to smile back.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Melissa's breath caught in her throat and she moved behind the desk as Wendy went to open the door.

It figured that the agent standing behind the door was none other than Perry the platypus...one of the agents who knew Melissa.

"Hey, Perry." Wendy smiled. "What can I do for you?"

Melissa swallowed, hoping she wouldn't be brought up.

"I was just wondering if you had a minute to talk about Gypsy," Perry replied.

Melissa exhaled. _Thank goodness._ A topic that had nothing to do with her. Had Perry even spotted her yet?

Wendy smiled warmly. "Sure, Perry. What about her?"

"I think something's wrong with her," Perry confessed. "She and Kiki have been assigned to be partners and...I don't know. She just seems even more scared than normal."

"Well..." Wendy paused. "It IS Kiki, and you're one of Gypsy's closest friends. That might be why she's scared because she knows you and Kiki don't get along well."

Perry frowned in thought. "I guess that's true. Do you think I should say something to her?"

"Gypsy? Yeah." Wendy smiled again. "And, if you'd like, I could talk to her as well."

"No, it's okay. I didn't mean to bother you." Perry happened to glance up at that moment, and spotted Melissa.

Melissa grimaced. _Great…_

"Wendy," Perry said slowly, his eyes fixed on Melissa.

Wendy blinked, apparently missing the tension in the room. "Yes, Perry?"


	5. Chapter 5

There was absolute silence for about ten seconds. Then Perry said, "If your friend is going to be in your office, she needs a visitor's pass."

Melissa swallowed.

"Really?" Wendy blinked. "Oh, okay. Is that a new change?"

Perry nodded, finally turning to look at Wendy. "Fairly new, yeah. More and more agents are bringing visitors into HQ now and it gets hard to keep track of them without a system."

Wendy nodded back. "Alright, that makes sense."

With one last look back at Melissa, Perry left the room.

"Well, I guess I'd better get you a visitor's pass," Wendy chuckled.

Melissa didn't say anything. She was too busy trying not to faint.

Wendy frowned, noticing this. "Melissa?"

The rabbit forced herself to stand up straight. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

Wendy waited but Melissa didn't say anything else.

"Okay..." she said, slightly reluctantly. "I'll be back in a minute."

Melissa waited until Wendy had left before diving under the desk.

What was that about? Why had Perry not said anything?

There were two possible options:

One, he thought she just LOOKED like Melissa but wasn't actually her.

Or two, he knew it was her and decided to keep quiet.

But if it was the latter, then why would he do that? He COULD have assumed that, if Wendy had allowed the rabbit into her office, that the cat trusted her. However, if that had been true, Melissa could have easily not told Wendy who she really was; Wendy was one of the few older agents who wouldn't remember Melissa.

Melissa exhaled shakily. OR maybe he had decided not to say anything in front of Wendy and was going to tell Major Monogram that she was there...

None of these options were particularly favourable. The rabbit just hoped Wendy would be able to finish up what she came here to do soon.

Wendy returned a lot more quickly than Melissa expected. "So it turns out I'm not needed until next week, so we can go if you like."

"Really?" Melissa shot up. "Okay!"

Wendy looked amused. "If you don't like it here, you could have said something."

Melissa rubbed the back of her neck. "W-Well, I had agreed to come, so..."

"Hon, it's okay to change your mind. You didn't know what O.W.C.A. was going to be like."

"It's okay. I didn't want to get in your way."

Wendy smiled. "You would never do that. It's okay, you can treat me like you would treat your own mother." She laughed. "I'm definitely old enough to be your mother."

Melissa chuckled softly. "I-I guess..."

She swallowed. With how Wendy was treating her... How could she even go without telling her anything that was going on? But she definitely couldn't tell her NOW...

...Could she? Would Wendy even understand?

 _No. Because it's a cowardly deal and you know it._

Wendy smiled warmly. "Come on, let's go."

Melissa awkwardly shuffled after Wendy as the cat headed out of the office. She was incredibly relieved to be leaving. She hoped it wouldn't show on her face too much, but being in O.W.C.A. was way too hard for her. Memories kept resurfacing, unpleasant ones.

Luckily, when her mind began straying to one of those memories, she was stepping out of the building so the memory was already fading. She forced herself to focus on following Wendy across the road. "So how many kids do you have?" she asked.

Wendy hesitated, and Melissa realized she may have touched upon a sensitive subject.

"Five," she replied eventually. "But two of them aren't...accessible."

Melissa frowned. "Oh, I... I'm sorry... What happened?"

"My first litter had three kittens. A week after they were born, L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. attacked. My three kids were abducted by them and my mate died trying to save them. I-I did get one of my kittens back, but we didn't get to the other two in time."

Melissa let out a soft gasp and pressed her hands to her mouth. "I'm so sorry..."

Wendy shook her head. "It's...It's okay. Cassie is still with us, at least."

Melissa blinked. _Cassie? Cassie the Cat, that really mean O.W.C.A. agent, is Wendy's daughter?!_

"Then my two children in my other litter are Gypsy and Raziel," Wendy continued.

"They're...a little different." She smiled. "But I love them so much. I love all three of my kids."

Melissa smiled back. "Gypsy is who you and Perry were talking about, isn't she?"

Wendy nodded. "That's right. Gypsy currently lives with him while she trains."

"I see. Are they...close?"

The cat smirked. "Yep."

Melissa grinned. "I guess you're okay with that, then?"

Wendy nodded again. "Definitely. He makes her stronger."

"That's cute," Melissa chuckled.

"It is. She used to depend on her brother a lot, but Ra was recently transferred to the Russian branch of O.W.C.A., leaving her behind."

"Wow," Melissa blinked. "So O.W.C.A's all over the world, then?"

Wendy nodded for the third time. "Yeah. There's at least one branch in every continent."

"Whoa. That's a lot more than I had expected."

"Well, evil is all over the world."

Melissa nodded slowly. "That's a good point."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Melissa flinched and Wendy automatically sprang into a fighting stance. It was L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N., of course, and other agents came racing out almost immediately.

Wendy pushed Melissa behind her as she spotted a massive metal robot stomping across the grass towards them, but Melissa stepped back beside her. "I can fight," she reassured. "Shall we do this together?"

"No," Wendy said firmly. "I know you must have learnt to fight while growing up on the streets, but this is different. You have no idea what this organisation can do. You need to stay out of the way."

Melissa swallowed. "I have an idea..."

Wendy shook her head. "No, you don't. Not if you've never tangled with them before. So please stay out of the way!" Giving Melissa a firm but not harsh push to the side, she took off towards the robot.

Melissa buried her head in her paws. This was bad... Why was L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. even attacking? The problem was that Melissa DID know exactly what they could do. She HAD tangled with them before. And now she was afraid that Wendy was in serious danger. Other agents WERE there, but they were fighting other scientists. However, Wendy was heading directly for...oh no.

 _NO! NOT HIM!_

Melissa got up and raced over to Wendy, knocking him to the ground before Wendy got to him. She then avoided a shot that another scientist caused by cartwheeling. "I have dealt with L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. before," she said softly. "And that one's especially dangerous."

Wendy frowned at Melissa, but Doctor Bringdown suddenly grabbed the latter with his animal hand and threw her aside. He glared at Wendy, who jumped up and kicked him in the face. He staggered back, looking from Wendy to Melissa, who was rushing back towards Wendy. He gave Melissa a hard glare when he realised what was going on.

Melissa glared back to hide the pounding of her heart in her chest. He knew now. He knew that Melissa was with Wendy, the person she had been ordered to bring to him, but she didn't intend to follow through on the deal.

Luckily, though, the other scientists were already being driven off, and more and more O.W.C.A. agents were turning to David, and he realized that he wouldn't be able to stop anyone. He dithered, clearly unhappy about having to flee. But Melissa's ferocious glare finally made him back away. He sneered in the rabbit's direction, reminding her of the deal she had just broken.


	6. Chapter 6

As he raced off, Melissa exhaled and turned to Wendy. "You okay?"

Wendy winced and rubbed her side. "I think I got a stitch. I'm getting too old for this." She gave Melissa an odd, but not unfriendly, look. "How do you know L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.?"

"I've had run-ins with them before," Melissa replied, not meeting her eyes. "And... I also know someone who's associated with them."

It was technically the truth, but Melissa still felt like she was lying directly to Wendy's face. She hated it.

"Okay." Wendy nodded and didn't press the matter further. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Melissa answered. She was getting more uncomfortable by the minute, as more agents were beginning to recognise her.

Without thinking, she turned and bolted for the forest. For a few seconds, she was so terrified that she almost passed out, but nobody followed her. She had been released from O.W.C.A. all those years ago; she hadn't escaped. There was no reason for anybody to pursue her.

Melissa finally let out a deep, shaky breath and sat down against a tree. _Calm down,_ she told herself. _This is getting a little ridiculous._

She knew she was being more than a little paranoid, but at the same time, her fears were actually rather valid. She had done something criminal, and O.W.C.A. had arrested her. She had been released, but that didn't stop her from being scared they'd changed their minds over the years. Not to mention growing up on the streets kind of naturally made her a bit paranoid. Plus, she HAD been a bit...troublesome while she was locked up. She could think of at least three agents who would probably rearrest her on sight.

Luckily, Perry didn't seem to be one of them. She was still confused as to why Perry HADN'T arrested her, or at least called her out. Unfortunately, she couldn't just walk up and ask him.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she failed to notice Wendy slowly approaching her until the cat spoke: "Melissa, hon, are you okay?"

Melissa's head shot over to the cat. "I-I... U-Uh..."

"You ran away so fast," Wendy said softly. "Is something wrong?"

Melissa hesitated. "I... I just..."

Wendy sat down next to her and started rubbing her shoulder. "You can talk to me about anything, I promise."

Melissa swallowed, shaking her head. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah." She managed a nod.

Wendy smiled kindly. "Then let's go home, okay?"

Melissa nodded again. "That's a good idea."

…

When they got back to Wendy's house, the cat found a letter on the doorstep. Melissa went inside while Wendy read it.

A few minutes later, the she-cat gasped and raced inside.

Melissa spun round in surprise. "Wendy?!"

Wendy's right paw was pressed against her mouth as she stared at the letter in her left paw. "W-What's wrong?" Melissa asked, Wendy's fear infecting her.

"M-M-My siblings," Wendy whispered. "Th-They...!"

"They're what?" Melissa asked nervously.

"I-Imprisoned...! B-By L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N...!"

Melissa's heart froze. She had known that, of course. That was the whole reason Dr Bringdown wanted Wendy in the first place. Cadenza and Beckett had apparently "betrayed" him, so he'd locked them up. If he was telling Wendy about it now, that meant the situation was getting dire. Dr Bringdown definitely knew now that Melissa had broken their deal, so he was taking matters into his own hands: contacting Wendy directly.

"I have to turn myself in...or they'll be k-killed..."

Melissa inhaled sharply. _No...! He can't do this! It's not fair!_

Wendy's eyes filled with tears and her paws began to shake so much that the letter slipped out of her grip. "Oh, Cadenza...Beckett... What have you done now...?"

Melissa swallowed. "Wendy, you don't know what they'll do to you! You can't go...!"

"I can't let them die!" Wendy croaked. "They're my siblings! I-I don't care what they did in the past; they're still my siblings and I still love them. I j-just...I c-can't let them die."

The rabbit squeezed her eyes shut. She had been hoping it wouldn't come to this. "T-There's something I need to tell you, Wendy."

Wendy wiped her eyes and blinked a few times. "W-What...?"

Melissa bit her lip. "C-Come on, let's sit down."

Getting even more nervous, Wendy lowered herself down on the sofa. "I...really need to go, Melissa."

"And I really need to tell you something," Melissa countered. She inhaled shakily. "I-I haven't been completely...honest with you."

"O-Oh...?"

Melissa let out the deep breath she had just taken.

"M-Melissa, you're scaring me..."

"First off," the rabbit began slowly. "I... I actually ran into O.W.C.A. a few years ago."

Wendy didn't react to that.

"I was starving," Melissa admitted. "It had gotten to the point where if I didn't eat anything soon, I would...well...die. I had heard rumors from other animals about an organization called O.W.C.A, and... I figured that a big group like that would certainly have a ton of food I could get access to."

"That...does make sense..."

"So I snuck over to their headquarters," Melissa continued. "Found out that they had a storage facility and where it was. I was so hungry, I didn't care- or, honestly, even think about- the fact that it would have security traps and cameras and alarms and all that."

"You were caught," Wendy worked out. "And imprisoned."

"Yeah," Melissa nodded. "Basically." She exhaled. "After about a week, I was released, but... I kind of tried to stay away from O.W.C.A. after that 'cause I was worried that they'd change their mind and rearrest me. But of course, being released meant that I was back on the streets, even worse off this time. I...I would have done anything to get off the streets. And...in a way, I did."

She swallowed. "A couple weeks ago, I... I met a L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist on the streets. He saw my condition, and...offered me a deal."

Wendy had no idea what to expect. "What...was the deal?"

Melissa squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm not sure why, but... If I turned you in, he would have helped me get off the streets."

The cat's eyes widened, and her paw automatically covered her mouth in shock and horror. "M-Melissa!"

"I-I hadn't cared at the time," Melissa admitted, staring at the ground. "B-But... After I met you... I-I realized I didn't want to follow through with the deal anymore. T-Then...during the fight today, I broke that deal."

"Y-You were going to just hand me over?!" Wendy gasped. "To an evil scientist?!"

Melissa could feel tears coming into her eyes. "Yes, but that was before I met you!"

"How could you want to do that to ANYONE?!" Wendy was almost crying freely now. "That...That's so awful!"

"It's who I am, Wendy!" Melissa wiped her tears away. "I'm not a nice little angel like you might have thought...!"

"You were..." Wendy's voice cracked. "You were so nice...s-so friendly... I j-just don't...understand..."

Melissa got up and turned away, squeezing her eyes shut. "I-I'm sorry, W-Wendy... B-But you can't go. I-I don't know w-why he wants you."

Wendy stood up, hugging herself. Her face settled into a determined look. "I'm going. I have to save my siblings."

"W-Wendy...!" Melissa gasped.

"I don't care what happens to me." Wendy fetched a satchel with a red cross on it and slung it over her shoulder. "You can stay or you can go. I don't mind."

With that, she left the house.

Melissa sunk to her knees, covered her face with her hands, and cried.

Just like normal, everything was falling apart for her again. Just when she thought her life was improving. Just when she thought she could be safe and happy. Was her life cursed to be horrible? If so, then what was the point in even trying?

Melissa inhaled shakily. _Are you giving up, then?_

She hesitated.

 _No. No I'm not. I can't let Wendy suffer in the hands of Dr Bringdown. No matter what she thinks of me now, I have to help her._

She managed to get back up on her feet. "I've got to help her."


	7. Chapter 7

The letter had specified exactly where Wendy was to go, so that was where the cat was going now. It was apparently his house, as she could see when she got to her destination. It looked like the kind of place an evil scientist would live.

Wendy inhaled deeply. It was time. Time to rescue her siblings.

She straightened her satchel straps and began to head to the building.

When she opened the door, she heard a loud noise and a cage suddenly dropped on top of her. The scientist who Melissa had attacked during the fight earlier came out of the shadows. He chuckled evilly. "It's about time."

Wendy drew herself up and took hold of the bars. "Why do you have my siblings?"

David Bringdown scowled. "They got too annoying for my taste."

"How dare you!" Wendy yelled angrily, shaking the bars. "ANNOYING?! You people are the ones who got them to join your stupid organisation in the first place!"

"Before we knew how frustrating they could be," he said calmly.

Wendy's eyes narrowed. "But then why me? I don't have anything to do with Cadenza or Beckett."

"You can control them," David replied.

"What?" Wendy stared at him for a moment, before letting out an involuntary laugh. "Seriously?"

David scowled. "What?"

Wendy shook her head contemptuously. "If you really think I have any control over them, you're crazy."

"Might as well try," he grinned slyly. "Besides, even if you can't, there's something even better we can do."

"W-What...?"

He paused and regarded Wendy curiously. "When I told that rabbit that I would take her off the streets if she brought you to me, your siblings were right there in their cage. They went crazy when I mentioned your name. Maybe they do care about you after all. Getting them to cooperate might be as easy as 1…" He took a step towards Wendy. "…2…" He grabbed her paw. "…3." And broke her wrist.

Wendy let out a scream of pain and bent forwards. Immediately, a male voice screamed, "WENDY!"

Wendy managed to look up and saw Beckett and Cadenza across the room, staring at her with horror. "Why did you come here, you idiot?!" Cadenza shrieked, shaking the bars of their cage. "You KNEW something like this would happen!" Tears flowed down her face as her brother began pounding on the cage.

"I-I had to...try to help you..." Wendy croaked.

Beckett inhaled sharply and clutched Cadenza's arm. "We don't deserve that and you know it."

Wendy swallowed. "That doesn't...matter. We're family..."

"Ah, yes, how sweet." David smirked. "All the family bonding, big deal."

"Shut up," Wendy snapped hoarsely, tears of pain freely falling from her eyes. "What do you plan to do now?"

David opened his mouth to answer, but, before he could, there was a crash. Wendy flinched as a few pieces of the ceiling came crashing down right in front of her cage. She blinked in surprise as a brown rabbit landed in a fighting pose in the same spot.

"Isn't that the rabbit who was supposed to bring you in?" Cadenza snarled.

"M-Melissa...?!" Wendy gasped.

Melissa didn't say anything. Instead, she backflipped up onto the cage and glared at the evil scientist. "Hello, David. I see your hair hasn't gotten any less stupid."

David scowled. "Just get out of my way."

"Nope." Melissa took a run-up and jumped right over David's head. Landing on the other side with the agility of her species, she bounded over to a lever on the wall. "Hey, is this important? This looks like a cage release lever."

David growled in frustration. "Stay away from that, rabbit!"

Melissa laughed. "I would, but... you can't stop me!" She pulled the lever up, lifting both cages off the ground.

David let out a yell and began to chase after her. But now Cadenza and Beckett were free. And they were VERY ticked off. They came up behind the scientist and attacked him while he was trying to catch the rabbit. Cadenza leapt on his head and started pulling his hair and Beckett started biting his ankle, while Melissa rushed round to check on Wendy. The she-cat was groaning in pain, clutching her wrist. She managed to look up at the rabbit. "What...are y-you...d-doing here?"

"I came to help," Melissa said softly. "I knew you wouldn't be able to handle him alone."

Wendy glared at her. "Oh, you d-did, did you? And YOU could?"

"Do you think I did?" Melissa gestured to Wendy's siblings, who were still taking care of the scientist.

"J-Just get away from me!" Wendy cried, pushing at Melissa with her injured paw. Then she screamed in pain and held her wrist against her chest.

"Wendy, please!" Melissa begged. "Let me help!"

"Just go and fight!" Wendy snapped, crying almost hysterically from both physical and psychological pain. "Leave me a-alone!"

Melissa squeezed her eyes shut. "O-O-Okay..."

Turning round, she spotted Beckett struggling in Dr Bringdown's animal hand, while Cadenza tried to free him.

Luckily, David didn't seem to notice Melissa slowly creeping up behind him. She let out a war cry, leapt up, and punched him as hard as she could in the face. David staggered backwards from the punch, running into the wall. This knocked him out, causing him to let go of Beckett.

"Thanks," he gasped.

Cadenza helped him up, and then they both ran over to Wendy. "Wendy, are you okay?" Beckett asked worriedly.

Wendy shook her head very quickly. "NO! PAIN! WRIST ON FIRE!"

Melissa grabbed the satchel Wendy had brought and came closer to the she-cat. Wendy pointed at Melissa with a shaking paw. "K-Keep her away from me!"

"W-Wendy, please..." Melissa's voice shook. "I-I can help..."

Beckett apologetically took the satchel from Melissa and he and Cadenza began looking through it for something to help. As they did, Wendy silently scrutinised Melissa through her tear-marred vision.

Melissa sniffled and turned to the unconscious scientist. She began to work on locking him up for when he awoke. But before she could secure him, he suddenly moved and slammed Melissa to the ground, holding her down with the incredible strength of his animal arm.

Melissa let out a yelp and immediately began to struggle. She tried to kick him, but he avoided it.

He opened his mouth to say something, probably a taunt, but before he could get the words out, Wendy came flying out of nowhere and bit him on his human arm with such ferocity that she drew blood.

That weakened David enough for Melissa to break free and pin down his other arm.

"Y-You leave u-us alone," Wendy snarled ferociously, though black spots were dancing in her vision. The pain in her wrist had increased. "If y-you EVER mess w-with me or the p-people I love again, y-you'll get a b-bigger bite! G-Got it?"

David nodded immediately, his eyes wide.

Wendy lifted her lip and hissed aggressively, displaying her claws. "I'm not a-afraid to use these!"

"Easy, Wendy, he's down." Melissa hesitantly placed her paw on Wendy's shoulder. "Do you have handcuffs?"

Wendy nodded slowly and fished a pair of handcuffs out of her fedora, handing them to Melissa. The pain in her wrist was making her head hurt so much that she felt like she was about to throw up or faint or both.

The last thing Wendy saw before passing out was Melissa locking up the evil scientist. Then she collapsed to the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**EPILOGUE**

When she woke up again, she was in her bedroom. She lifted her aching paw weakly and saw that there was a small cast on it. She winced with pain and lay it back down on the bed.

That was when she saw Melissa pacing on the other end of the room.

Wendy cleared her throat weakly and rasped, "M-M-Mel..."

"Don't try to speak," Melissa said gently. "You're still recovering."

The cat shook her head. "I r-really lost it a-at you. A-And I...didn't m-mean to. I w-was worried about m-my siblings a-and later, I w-was in a lot of p-p-pain from my p-paw. I o-only acted the w-way I did b-because I was u-under such stress. I'm s-sorry."

Melissa swallowed. "No, it's okay. You had every right. Besides..." she inhaled shakily. "I've only had one person in my life who hasn't turned on me, and he's been missing for a few weeks now."

Wendy shook her head again. "I w-won't turn on you again, I p-promise. I'd...I'd be honoured if y-you'd still consider l-living here with m-me."

"R-Really?" Melissa asked softly. "After everything I've done?"

"Everything y-you've done?" Wendy smiled. "You mean s-save me and my siblings' l-lives?"

Melissa inhaled. "You're really okay with me staying here?"

"I wouldn't offer if I w-wasn't sure." Wendy reached out with her paw. Melissa hesitantly came across the room and took it. "Welcome home, Melissa."


End file.
